Just THIRTEEN days to go folks, until the release of the next solo Rob Zombie album, Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor. Are ya getting just a little itchy fidgety waiting for the album to drop? We sure damn hope so!

In the meantime, see what Music Box Unwinds has to say in this review – spoiler alert “It’s badass”

No matter the opinion you may have of Rob Zombie, the man is a legend. During his 25 year career, he has been the frontman for White Zombie, directed 5 cult horror films, and released 4 solo albums. He pretty much does whatever he wants to do and no one would dare question him or his work. Now late into his 40’s, his upcoming 5th album “Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor” is pretty much the definitive sound of Rob Zombie; the vocals are as gritty and redneck as ever, the guitar (still written and performed by John 5 of Marilyn Manson fame) is as fierce and groove-laden as ever, the stomping rhythms are made for rock clubs, and horror electronics are as creepy as ever. So, how does this album shape up to the rest? Is it as good as his critically acclaimed 2010 release “Hellbilly Deluxe 2”? They are two very different beasts, but this newest release contains some of the best Zombie tracks that he has ever worked on.

This album doesn’t pussyfoot around, it gets straight to business with opener “Teenage Nosferatu Pussy” proving to be the perfect opening for this album with a heavy thumping verse that is Rob’s gift to head-bangers all around the world. The lyrical content is as strange as ever, but if you wanted relatable lyrical content about relationships then you should have bought a Taylor Swift album – and if you want gritty vocals spitting out lines about demons, vampires and sex then you’re in the right place. First single from this record “Dead City Radio and the New God’s of Supertown” is a straight up rock and roll horror song. John 5 does an excellent job on this song, with excellent riff after excellent riff working perfectly with the excellent tribal-sounding drum beats and strange but effective organ sections during the chorus. Rob delves into much darker electronic sounds than he has ever used before on record, such is the case with “Rock And Roll (In A Black Hole)”, which could easily fool the listener into thinking it was written by Trent Reznor. The way in which the verse crawls into the explosion of a chorus is mind-blowing and it sounds as if it would work perfectly live. The same dark electronics are exhibited on “The Girl Who Loved the Monster”, with strange “Mass Effect” style sound effects making an occasional appearance as well as random spoken word French sections, but the chorus is 100% classic Zombie. The high-octane burst on energy on “Behold, the Pretty Filthy Creatures!” is the perfect example of how relentless Rob can be. The signature “organ” sound of this album bursts into an all-out solo at the climax of this song. That’s right, and organ solo. Don’t question the Zombie, it works. Although some of the tracks sound like they could be on the majority of Rob Zombie albums, such as “White Trash Freaks”, it’s hard to argue with a formula that has produced so many good albums.

This album is exactly what should follow its predecessor “Hellbilly Deluxe 2”. It was unexpected that Rob and co. would be able to top that record, but he has done it in excellent fashion by changing different elements of his sound while still keeping that trademark sound that has made most releases in his discography so memorable. This is Rob Zombie at his creepiest, most furious and downright best.

I also just found out that he’s a huge fan of the Philadelphia Flyers ice hockey team and working on a film about them. Just when you thought he couldn’t get any more badass!

“Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor” will be released through Roadrunner on the 23rd of April.
Rob Zombie’s next film “The Lords of Salem” is released on April 19th and promises to be equally awesome.

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